Why is enjoying the process better than focusing on the outcome?
There is this principle that says "dissociate yourself from the outcome and enjoy the process" that I encountered in several different places. I was thinking why and found a good explanation for it, especially that will help the outcome-oriented people.
The outcome provides some value and therefore the people who are outcome-oriented behave outcome-oriented. In circumstances that the outcome is to be achieved at the end of a long period of time, focusing on the outcome leads to frustration, boredom and many other negative feelings.
The situation is that the outcome is at the end and although we can imagine it, it is not here yet. What to do until we get to the end? If you focus on the outcome, you are waiting and missing all the "good" things along the way. You are doing stuff as if you are trying to avoiding them by getting them done quickly. That is sub-optimal and therefore it leads to boredom, etc. Wanting the outcome badly, you can do the things in-between haphazardly or in a hurry. You can try to do them quick. All this is a waste of time and feels like a high burden, which is very normal. Because you are doing "stuff" that you do not enjoy and get value out of.
Why shall you enjoy the process and how? Think in terms of outcome. There are many little things on the way to your original big outcome and all these little things have their own small outcomes. If you are outcome oriented, think about them as small outcomes.
If you slow down enough and perceive them, you will see them. If you hurry, you will miss them because "hurry" is too fast a pace to perceive them. Therefore, you need to slow down and be aware of the small outcomes on the way. The small outcomes are the result of small and short processes with small values. However, those small values are still values and they accumulate.
If you enjoy the process toward the journey to the outcome, you actually will have many small outcomes and many small values that you will gain and enjoy. In fact, the process IS another outcome. If this process you are doing has an end to it, then when you get to the end, you will have the outcome (the large value you were expecting to have) PLUS all the little outcomes long the way. That is more and much more than if you hurried and got just the outcome by missing all the small ones.
This is what looks like a paradox. Slower is actually faster in terms of value / time it takes to get that value. You make the time longer but the value has become much more, and therefore you have been faster in terms of this dimension.
Therefore, to be fast (in value / time), you need to slow down (pace).
Interesting, isn't it?
Enjoy the process becuase the process is part of the total outcome.
---
What if you just want to have the outcome but not all the little outcomes of the process. Well, that is the way it is. Probably you have no control over many things there, which is fine.
However, it is important to be aware and realize the deal you are getting into. Think of it as a business deal. You give your time and effort and you get some value. The value includes the value of the process. Ignoring that value is equivalent to be under-informed. Be informed when you decide to take a path. If this is what you want, get into it. If not, maybe search for another. If you are unsure, try it anyway and you will eventually either enjoy the process as you learn how it is or that will lead you to a better path, which is the process of the larger outcome of finding your path.
The outcome provides some value and therefore the people who are outcome-oriented behave outcome-oriented. In circumstances that the outcome is to be achieved at the end of a long period of time, focusing on the outcome leads to frustration, boredom and many other negative feelings.
The situation is that the outcome is at the end and although we can imagine it, it is not here yet. What to do until we get to the end? If you focus on the outcome, you are waiting and missing all the "good" things along the way. You are doing stuff as if you are trying to avoiding them by getting them done quickly. That is sub-optimal and therefore it leads to boredom, etc. Wanting the outcome badly, you can do the things in-between haphazardly or in a hurry. You can try to do them quick. All this is a waste of time and feels like a high burden, which is very normal. Because you are doing "stuff" that you do not enjoy and get value out of.
Why shall you enjoy the process and how? Think in terms of outcome. There are many little things on the way to your original big outcome and all these little things have their own small outcomes. If you are outcome oriented, think about them as small outcomes.
If you slow down enough and perceive them, you will see them. If you hurry, you will miss them because "hurry" is too fast a pace to perceive them. Therefore, you need to slow down and be aware of the small outcomes on the way. The small outcomes are the result of small and short processes with small values. However, those small values are still values and they accumulate.
If you enjoy the process toward the journey to the outcome, you actually will have many small outcomes and many small values that you will gain and enjoy. In fact, the process IS another outcome. If this process you are doing has an end to it, then when you get to the end, you will have the outcome (the large value you were expecting to have) PLUS all the little outcomes long the way. That is more and much more than if you hurried and got just the outcome by missing all the small ones.
This is what looks like a paradox. Slower is actually faster in terms of value / time it takes to get that value. You make the time longer but the value has become much more, and therefore you have been faster in terms of this dimension.
Therefore, to be fast (in value / time), you need to slow down (pace).
Interesting, isn't it?
Enjoy the process becuase the process is part of the total outcome.
---
What if you just want to have the outcome but not all the little outcomes of the process. Well, that is the way it is. Probably you have no control over many things there, which is fine.
However, it is important to be aware and realize the deal you are getting into. Think of it as a business deal. You give your time and effort and you get some value. The value includes the value of the process. Ignoring that value is equivalent to be under-informed. Be informed when you decide to take a path. If this is what you want, get into it. If not, maybe search for another. If you are unsure, try it anyway and you will eventually either enjoy the process as you learn how it is or that will lead you to a better path, which is the process of the larger outcome of finding your path.
posted by Alex at 6:56 AM
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